466 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
are much more vinous—in fact, more like those of the adult male in tint. 
It is interesting to know that Herr Gatke, in a letter to my friend 
Mr. Cordeaux, dated from Heligoland, Sept. 17th (the day on which the 
Yorkshire example was obtained), says “ got to-day H. rustica, a fine young 
bird.” Probably the Heligoland and the Yorkshire bird were near relations, 
or at least travelling companions from the north-east—W. Hague CLARKE 
(Leeds). 
Birds AND TELEGRAPH-WIRES.— Many of the birds whose existence is 
cut short by flying against telegraph-wires belong to the migratory class, 
and probably many of these accidents occur during the hours of darkness. 
Occasionally, however, a non-migratory species is killed in broad daylight. 
A few summers ago a gamekeeper showed me a female Black Grouse, 
which he had seen fly against the wires and drop dead. On dissection 
I found its neck was broken and its breast severely cut and bruised. Some 
of this mutilation was doubtless caused by its fall to the ground, as it was 
a heavy, plump bird; but that the force of contact against the wires had 
been sufficient to cause immediate death is unquestionable. Once in my 
evening rambles I picked up a Partridge that had met with a similar fate, © 
and it could not have been dead a very long time, as the body was warm 
when I found it. I often have birds sent me that have been killed in this 
way, and the great majority of them are picked up by men whose work takes 
them on the line of railway early in the morning. It is only during the 
past month of September that two species were thus found and sent to me, 
viz., a Spotted Crake on the 3rd and a Ring Ouzel on the 28th; both were 
much ent about the head and neck, and the last-named bird had its breast- 
bone completely smashed, whilst the skin of the breast had been cut as 
with a knife, and one of its eyes had also been knocked out. In previous 
seasons I have had the Wheatear, Nightingale, Corncrake, Jack Snipe, and 
one or two others killed in like manner, and if I mistake not, all at the 
time of the spring or autumn migration. But I by no means wish it to be 
inferred that such accidents occur only at the periods stated ; my experience 
points to them as worthy of notice. Many readers of ‘ The Zoologist’ whose 
experience is much more extended than my own will perhaps give us the 
benefit of their knowledge upon the subject.—G. B. Corin (Ringwood, 
Hants). 
OrnitHoLoeicAL Norrs From West CumMBERLAND.—In February, 
1880, a shepherd told me he saw four Snow Buntings (called by him 
« flakes”) on Bleng Tongue, a high-lying piece of ground in Gosforth parish ; 
and in December a pair of Peregrines were seen by the same man near his 
house. In June a pair of Ravens were trapped on Burnmoor; the keeper 
sent them to me, and I found the larger to be an exceedingly fine hen bird, 
and the other a well-grown bird of the year; both had been caught by the 
ten te 
